Untitled
by Kiyohime
Summary: A blood elf meets two night elf hunters and falls for one of them. Rated M for language and possible explicit and gory scenes later.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Blizzard, but I do own few toons that will be featured in this story. _

_Also, there will be femmslash / Shoujo-Ai in this story, if you don't like that kind of thing... don't read. This is my first time writing a Warcraft story... so forgive me if it sucks. For those who are waiting for an update on "A Vampire's Fate", please be patient. The next chapter is almost done. _

**Chapter One**

"Get back here, damn kal'dorei!" A loud feminine voice cried out angrily.

"How about you catch me first, bitch?!" the runner shouted back, snapping the last nerve in the young Sin'Dorei who had been chasing the fleeing one through the thick jungle of Stranglethorn Vale. It had all started by one simple but offending remark which led to a duel in Booty Bay, a local town by the shore.

--

"_You don't have any filtered draenic water?? Oh gimme a break!" a young Sin'dorei heaved a sigh and shot the vendor another weary look, "Ok, I'll take ten of Morning Glory Dew then." After paying the man for the drinks, she grabbed them and headed out. _

"_Lazy bastards can't even send an order to Outlands to get that stuff… making us go all the way over there, tch," as the young blood elf went on muttering to herself, a black lion trotted up to the huntress and meowed questioningly at her._

"_Hm? Ah, it's nothing…" she ruffled the mane on the young lion and threaded her fingers through the mane, eliciting a purr from the cat making her smile contently. _

"_Well, well… look at that bow and polearm… looks like another HUNTARD to me," even though she didn't take note of the obnoxious tone of the stranger's voice spoken in the Darnassian language, she immediately got ticked the second she was called a 'huntard'. Of course, she found that offensive. It was one of these times when she wished she hadn't learned the Darnassian language from an old friend._

_Turning to face the stranger with a scowl on her face, she cussed him out in Thalassian, the elvish language of the Sin'dorei. She smirked once she saw the confused look on the man's face. Oh, how she loved to speak the language that the Alliance were not familiar with._

_Continuing in her own language in an accented voice, she purred out to her pet, "Come, Humar… let's go to some place where kal'dorei scum aren't allowed." She shot another annoyed look at the kal'dorei when he chuckled. _

"_Heh! Told ya she wouldn't be able to handle me!" the kal'dorei jeered, earning a laugh from his buddies and the huntress's eyebrow twitched at the comment. How dare he be so… arrogant! It was time for somebody to shut him up. _

_The young sin'dorei wrapped her palm around the hilt of her polearm holstered into a leather case on her back and pulled it out. A somewhat sinister grin crept across her lips and it grew as she pointed the blade of the polearm at the elf's throat. She didn't even have to ask for a duel, her eyes already did the talking as a mischievous yet challenging twinkle shone in them._

_Next to the huntress, the lion let out a menacing growl and readied himself to attack. His emerald hues shone dangerously under the rays of the sun and it's tail swished back and forth furiously, a sign he was ready to attack. She cooed softly to the cat in Thalassian yet again, her eyes never leaving the druid, "Now, now my dear… wait for it."_

_The kal'dorei let out a scoff and smirked smugly, "Are you kidding me?" As soon he said that, he morphed into the form of an owl mixed with few different species. The huntress immediately knew that he was of the druid class. She had met several Tauren and night elf druids before and was quite familiar with the class. _

"_Humar!" the blood elf commanded her pet, took a couple of steps back and holstered her polearm quickly._

_Humar let out a roar and dashed towards the caster, baring his fangs. _

_As soon the massive cat pounced him, she pulled out her bow from the quiver on her back and readied an arrow on it. At the tip of the arrow, a bright blue light begun to channel into a tiny ball. Grasping at the arrow's end, she pulled it far back till the string of the bow reached it's limit then she let go, letting the arrow tear through the air at a remarkable speed._

_The druid had managed to pull off a moonfire but Humar had distracted him when he pounced and it hit him instead._

_The huntress ground her teeth in anger when she heard the pained cry from her pet. However, she then smirked in satisfaction when she saw the druid stumble a bit from his energy being drained from the first arrow that she fired. Taking this opportunity to do what she intended, she aimed her hand at her pet and channeled energy. A purplish wall of light in the shape of a halo blinked around Humar and with one swipe from him, the druid was stunned. Another arrow laced with the poison of a serpent was fired right at the caster's chest, it penetrated the armor just enough to pierce his skin. _

_Letting out a growl of pain and annoyance, the druid pulled the arrow out and used one of his abilities to cure himself of the poison. Although he was too slow to cast Moonfire again as the huntress shot a third arrow, purplish light streaked behind the arrow as it flew right at the druid and hit him. It was enough to bring him down to one knee. _

"_Retreat!" the druid cried out to his friends and healed himself before he turned, morphing into the form of a large purple feline. _

"_Get back here and fight like a man!" the huntress growled and chased after him. Even though her speed was as fast as a cheetah, he was faster. Humar was hot on his trail, barely nipping at the heels of the fleeing panther. _

_As soon the druid entered the tunnel entrance of the town, he slipped out of his feline form and summoned his mount just in time to flee. Another serpent sting that was fired had missed the druid as it flew by his head. _

"_Fenrir! Come forth!" A piercing howl echoed out as the Sin'dorei summoned her mount. A large white wolf leapt out of it's dimension and let out a soft growl. It's face was hidden by a silver piece of armor. Behind the armor, it's purple eyes glowed brightly. The wolf bowed his head down to allow his owner to climb up on him. Grabbing the reins, the huntress pulled herself up onto the leather seat buckled up on the wolf's back. Humar disappeared, being dismissed for the time being. _

_--_

Up to this day, she never thought she'd come to hate someone with a passion. Even though she and the kal'dorei were of the elvish race, she'd feel guilty if it was any other Kal'dorei… but this one had ticked her off to no end. She hated it when people would come out as an arrogant punk then wound up running like a coward from a simple duel. It was pathetic.

The druid took a sharp left at the fork near a bridge between Stranglethorn and Duskwood. She came to a dead end with two heavily armored alliance guards, awaiting her arrival.

She snarled at the druid who was hiding behind the guards, laughing at her. She pulled on the reins, commanding the wolf to turn around immediately and fled before the guards could reach her. She was glad for the speedy mount as she outran the guards. Their shouts became distant and she smirked slightly in satisfaction to hear the peaceful sounds of mother nature yet again.

Sighing wearily, she rode her wolf up the road to the bridge linking the gap between Stranglethorn and a dark forest. The wolf slowly trotted across the bridge and let out a soft growl of disapproval.

"I don't like that place either, but no need to be afraid…" the huntress whispered reassuringly to the large wolf and scratched behind it's ear, eliciting a content grunt from it. Although, her words were nothing but a mere lie the second they entered the dark forest.

Her nerves tingled from a chill shooting down her spine when she entered the territory that belonged to the Alliance. It was a forest so dark and foggy, it seemed… _dead. _Anyone would be insane to actually enjoy it here. However, it wasn't exactly the problem. In the air, she could feel the heavy aura of pure evil. All of sudden, the wolf underneath her came to a sudden halt and growled lowly. His glowing eyes glared at, what seemed to be nothing but fog, in front of him. She knew that it sensed the aura as well.

Never in years, would she have thought she'd lose her cool completely and become afraid of something she was trained to kill.

Pondering on why the aura bothered her greatly, the answer was given the second she smelled something horrid in the air. It smelled like decaying flesh. Suppressing the need to yak, she quickly covered her hand over her nose.

"What the _hell…_"

Lavender eyes widened in horror when the fog up ahead parted, a shadow twice the size of a Tauren slowly walked in her direction.

'_Oh…GOD! So that's what the smell is… what the fuck is it?!'_

Her stomach churned at the sight of grayish-white flesh that appeared to be decaying and looked like it was sewn back up together. It looked like large chunks of skin was missing also. Jagged rib bones sticked out of its chest and she even could see it's lungs. It was an abomination from hell. It was difficult to tear her eyes away from the extra arm sticking out of its shoulder blade. Although, what concerned her more were the large axe and butcher's knife in each of it's hands. She wondered what it was doing in an Alliance territory. She had seen guards of Undercity that looked just like this one, which was one of the reasons why she _hated _going to Undercity. She couldn't stand the sight of them.

The wolf let out a howl of terror and frenziedly backed away from the monster.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy! Oh shit--" Failing to soothe the large beast, she was thrown off and landed on her side so hard that the wind got knocked out of her. She gasped and winced from the stabbing pain in her right side.

The monster had heard Fenrir's howl and was already advancing towards his new victim rapidly. The huntress's heart pounded within her ribs when she felt the ground rumble. As the axe came into the line of her sight, her entire life flashed right before her eyes.

She was quick to react to her survival instincts and rolled to the left quickly. Barely, just _barely_, the axe missed her and wedged right into the ground next to her. Not wasting her time to move fast, she scrambled up to her feet and yanked her polearm out of it's holster.

She felt death practically breathing down her neck when she looked at the monster's face. It pushed her nerves beyond their limit and it made her senses heighten.

The axe came free from the ground as the abomination pulled on it hard and raised the axe above it's head, getting prepared to strike. Fearing that the last sound she would hear was the abomination's thunderous roar, she shut her mind down and acted upon her instincts. She quickly held her polearm horizontally above her head to block the oncoming attack and to buy few more seconds to figure out her counterattack.

"Get 'em, Saya!!"

'_What? Who's that??' _

Before she could look back over her shoulder to see who it was, a large black wolf dashed past her and jumped on the abomination. The predator growled threateningly and sank it's fangs in the monster's arm. It was enough to inflict pain on the monster and it let out a pained roar and stumbled backwards, away from the huntress.

"HUMAR!" She shouted out and the black lion jumped out of it's dimension.

A whistling sound was heard as an arrow whizzed by her head and hit one of the exposed lungs. It was a similar shot to the one she shot earlier at the druid, an arcane shot.

That seemed to do the job as the monster bellowed again in pain and anger.

'_The heart! I see it!' _

The young Sin'dorei grabbed her bow along with an arrow and channeled arcane energy into the tip of the arrow and took aim at the exposed chest.

Terrifyingly, it didn't take long for the monster to recover and charge towards her.

She honed her senses on her target and ignored the rumbling ground. In one firm pull of the bow's string, the arrow was fired. Much to her dismay, it missed the heart and hit the same lung. It provoked another anguished cry from the monster.

In the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of another large feline dashing towards the monster. It was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. Light grayish stripes adorned it's white fur. It's eyes were what made it remarkably unique. Unlike any other, it's aqua eyes seemed to glow literally.

The feline used all of it's strength and pounced onto the monster's chest, causing it to tumble back and land on it's back. She could've sworn she heard the ground groan as it rumbled from the impact.

"Finish it off!"

The Sin'dorei could tell the command came from someone else. It sounded more feminine than the first one that had a hint of some kind accent.

Obeying it's master, the feline went for the most vital organ and agonized roars died down as the heart was shred to pieces.

"We'd better move now, there's never telling if this thing has two hearts like others…"

Finally getting the chance to see who had saved her ass from getting chopped up, she went speechless as she came face to face with two young night elves. They were just as beautiful as her old friend, Lieutenant Eden, a kal'dorei and one of Darnassus's top elites. They met when Eden was stationed at the Isle of Quel'Danas for six months. She never minded the fact that she was a member of the alliance. She was the most considerate and kind kal'dorei she had met. Sure, that other night elf back in Stranglethorn might've been a down-right asshole, but that certainly didn't mean the rest of the alliances were like that. She had a good feeling about these hunters who just saved her from a possible brutal death.

"Shit, he's moving. Hurry up, blood elf!" It was the owner of the white tiger who hissed out warily in Darnassian. She had deep purple hair that blended in so well with her light lavender skin. The sin'dorei's attention, however, was more focused on the other night elf next to her. She wasn't sure what had caught her attention the most… the kal'dorei's silver hues or the wayshe stared back at the blood elf. Unlike her somewhat pasty skin and pale white hair, the kal'dorei's skin appeared to be fairly tanned and her hair was the color of nature. At first glance, you could've sworn she was a druid. The kal'dorei never ceased her intense observation upon the blood elf.

"Ahh man, she probably doesn't understand us."

"Oi, I think she already knows anyway… I'm sure she's not that dense," the tanned elf muttered softly as she kept on watching her for a moment or so before looking away and climbed up on a black horse clad in armor. The purple haired kal'dorei merely shrugged and mounted as well on her black tiger. Suddenly, a memory triggered in the sin'dorei's mind and remembered a bloody battle she had fought in once. She remembered seeing black war tigers escorting alliances to their destination…

--

"_Damnit! The east frost wolf tower is under attack!" a young male Sin'dorei cried out, he stared in horror at the flames engulfing the wood on the tower._

"_Fall back! Get inside with Drek now!! Hey! Did you hear me? Get moving!" she yelled at the boy and readied an arrow on her bow and fired it in the head of an unfortunate alliance priest who thought he could inflict shadow of pain on the boy and get away with it._

"_AUGH! Watch where you fire those things! Man, did you really have to kill him?? I thought you didn't believe in this stupid crap!"_

"_Oh so you want me to let them kill you? Look at them! They're nothing but blood-thirsty beasts! They will not stop till we are dead! We have to defend ourselves and others, don't you dare think I enjoy doing this! NOW GET INSIDE!" With that, another arrow was fired at a human mounted on a black war tiger. The human shouted out in pain and armed his two-handed sword._

'_Aw, fuck!' The huntress had wished she didn't have to run into a warrior or paladin. They were one of her worst weaknesses. They were too powerful for her to handle on her own. She had near-death experience with a warrior once, but got fortunate and managed to decapitate him. Not that she wanted to do it, she had no choice. _

"_Aiden! Inside, now!!" the boy finally listened and followed her inside a large hut._

"_Drek, sir, they've breached the fortress and the rest of our defense are dying! Get prepared!" _

_Black eyes filled with rage stared down the huntress and Drek let out an intimidating growl, "Let them come in! We'll take care of them, no problem! Fall back to the relief hut if you can. Do not fret, Lieutenant… they do not know what they are up against. Now, go!"_

_She stared back at the orc with uncertainty and sighed wearily, "Yes, sir… I have faith in you. May Hellscream be with you."_

_Drek grinned confidently, "Thatt'a girl! For the Horde!" _

_With one final nod to the orc, she turned and ran out with Aiden. Her heart sank the minute she stepped outside. Among the chaotic catastrophe, corpses of her fellow Horde members laid in their own puddles of blood. Several of others were still in battle with the enemy, barely holding on the last threads of their lives._

"_Nao-- UNH!" _

"_AIDEN! NO!!" The huntress screamed out in horror as she watched another arrow being driven into the young boy's throat. _

"_Fuck! Where the hell is a druid when I need one!?" She kneeled down by the boy, holding back sobs and held onto one of the boy's hands, "Please… hold on. Just a little longer! I'm sure there's a druid around here! Hold on!" Her heartbeats pounded in her ears and she watched in complete fear as Aiden choked out, trying to talk. It wasn't long before his eyelids grew heavy and fell shut. _

"_Aiden… no… talk to me, damnit! AIDEN!" Shaking his shoulders in a desperate attempt to get the boy to give some kind of response, she cried freely for the first time in a long time._

"_Move!" Out of the blue, she was pushed aside._

_When she looked over at who pushed her, she felt fear washing over when she saw it was a night elf. The fear was then turned into relief when the tears cleared away from her eyes and she realized iwho it was._

"_Eden! What are you doing here?! I thought you wouldn't take part of this!" _

"_Quiet! Watch my back, will you?! I don't want anyone see us or we'll be in trouble," the white haired druid hissed lowly to her before pulling the leather glove off her right hand and quickly yet carefully pulled the arrow out of Aiden's throat and covered the hole with her right hand. _

_Green light glowed from her hand, the aura of her healing abilities begun to work on the torn muscle and mended it back together. Five seconds later, a hole no longer was in the boy's throat but new and fresh skin._

_Eden pulled out the second arrow from the boy's shoulder and healed it as well. _

"_He's fine now…"_

"_Eden--"_

"_I wanted to see you. I… I heard you were forced to take part of this… madness. I just had to see if you were alright," the druid murmured softly, surprising the Sin'dorei._

_The huntress couldn't speak another word when the druid's emerald eyes locked with hers. She always seemed to lose herself in them. There was something… a spark in those eyes that was so unique. So mysterious._

_It was one of the little things that made her fall in love with Eden._

_Unfortunately, it was the last time she had ever saw those eyes. Before Aiden awoke, the druid had left to aid her other comrades after giving the huntress one last hug. After the battle was over, she never heard from Eden again. She had assumed the worst reasoning behind Eden's disappearance… that she was killed._

--

Slightly annoyed by the memory, the blood elf shrugged it off and mounted her wolf quickly after dismissing Humar and headed in the same direction the other two were. The rivalry between the alliance and the horde saddened her greatly. Their real war was with the Burning Legion… not each other. She came to believe they created that problem on their own. Nothing but a meaningless competition for dominance.

Her mind started to drift off into her own thoughts yet again and stared up ahead. Unexpectedly, her eyes wandered to the night elves in front of her.

'_Do they even see what I see? That we are not meant to fight and that we are meant to work together against the Burning Legion and destroy them?'_

"Where were you headed? If you can even understand me…" the purple haired elf shouted back out to the sin'dorei, capturing her attention.

"Karazhan."

"Ok good, we're both headed-- wait, you speak Darnassian!?"

"Of course, I do," the Sin'dorei huffed softly and muttered under her breath, "and I wish I never did sometimes…"

"Tch, so touchy." The night elf remarked with a sigh. This had elicited a soft and amused chuckle from the other elf.

"Now, now children… play nice."

"Hey, who are you calling children, Locke?!"

"Man, you sure are amusing when you're mad," the tanned elf smirked and winked at the reddening cheeks on the purple haired kal'dorei.

"…Shut up."

The sin'dorei silently watched the whole ordeal with an amused grin on her face.

"Well, it's still a long way there… we should set up camp somewhere and call it a night. I'm sure you need the rest after that shock back there," the purple haired kal'dorei glanced back at the blood elf.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea. I've had a long day…" the sin'dorei softly agreed.

"Let's go in Elywnn Forest… it's not too far and it's safer there. By the way, what is your name? I'm Viola," she pointed her thumb at the other night elf, "and she's Lockehart."

"Naolin. I owe you both for helping me with that thing back there…"

"No need, really… but if you insist, you can just repay the favor by helping us set up camp," Viola smiled warmly at Naolin.

Naolin let out a soft laugh, "Alright, sounds fair." She then looked over at Lockehart and was surprised to find the night elf looking back at her with a small grin. She couldn't help but blush lightly and grinned back. The Kal'dorei's silver hues captured her attention again and she noticed a glow in them. It reminded her of Eden… except that they were different. They gave Naolin a sense of comfort. Eden's intense gaze gave Naolin a sense of danger… which actually thrilled her more than comforted her.

_'Eden... I miss you.' _

Silently, the trio took a shortcut through the forest towards Elwynn.

_--TBC--_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Blizzard. Naolin and Viola are my toons though. Lockehart was used with permission._

**Chapter Two**

"So, how'd you get your pet?" Viola plopped down on a small sheet in front of the tent they had set up. Locke was reclining on the ground across from Naolin, a hand propping her head up as she laid on her side. Upon hearing Viola's question, the mysterious kal'dorei had taken sudden interest and looked up at Naolin, idly nibbling on a marshmallow.

"Hm?" Looking over to the black lion resting next to her, Naolin smiled lightly, "Humar? I saved his life…"

She reached out and scratched behind Humar's ear, satisfied to hear the purr.

--

"_Come on, papa! We're gonna miss the ship!"_

"_Yah, yah hold yer horses, Nao. I ain't a youngin anymore," a man in his mid 30's chuckled as he caught up with his energetic daughter, "You keep runnin' off from me, you can't blame me!"_

_The young blood elf giggled, "Sorry, Pa. Just trying to keep you in shape." With that, she smirked._

"_hey now! You sayin' that yer old dad's fat, huh?" The man let out a fake sniff and pouted, "you're mean."_

"_Oh, I'm kidding! Come on, lets goooo…. I wanna ride the ship!" _

"_Ya go ahead, I'll catch up. Just don't stray off the road! Ya hear me, Nao?" He shouted out to the retreating form of his daughter and chuckled softly, "She'll be the death of me one day." _

"_Don't worry, Pa!" the young girl shouted back. _

_About halfway down the road, the sight of fleeing gazelles stopped Naolin in her tracks. It looked like they were running away from something. Just then, she had a strange feeling. Like something… or someone was in trouble. _

_Trying to shake off the ominous feeling, she kept walking down the road towards Ratchet. Although she kept a safe distance from the gazelles in case. _

_The feeling, however, did not fade away. It grew stronger instead._

_Then she heard it. Faint crying._

_Suddenly alert, Naolin peered around and out across the meadows surrounding her. When she glanced over to the left side, a black furry creature caught her eye. From a distance, she could tell it was a young panther cub. _

'_What is it doing out here and not in a jungle?'_

_It wasn't long before she realized where the crying was coming from._

_The cub was crying out in fear._

_Nearby, two raptors were stalking closer to the cub. With a fear-stricken heart, Naolin ran with all she had towards the cub. _

"_Oi, Naolin! Where you goin'?? Get back on the road!" Ignoring the shouts from her father, she spotted a large branch that had been broken off the tree and snatched it._

"_Away! Get away!" She shouted at the predators as she stepped in front of the cub and held the branch up in front of her defensively. One of the raptors became enraged, wanting it's meal now, launched towards the girl._

_An arrow was fired in the side of it's head and it topped over with a shrill cry of pain. As the other raptor was distracted, Nao took a swing at it's head with the large branch and screamed at it again, "Get away, you beast!" _

_The raptor let out a pained cry and backed up before fleeing, deciding the meal wasn't worth it's death. _

"_Naolin! Don't do that again, ever!" His father stalked towards her with a bow in his hand, face slightly red with anger but his eyes held tremendous worry._

"_But papa, they were going to kill this poor panther!" She turned to look at the cub to see if it was okay._

_The cub whined out and cowered back against the tree. Naolin had almost cried when she saw it's body shaking from fear, "You poor thing… where could've your mother gone off to? Here, it's okay…" She cooed softly to the cat, she slowly reached her hand out. She knew not to be too forcing or rush it. It needed time to be reassured that it wouldn't be harmed. _

"_That's no panther… it's a rare breed lion," The man muttered softly as he crouched down next to his daughter and smiled, "See that small mane?"_

_Naolin was amazed. She had never seen a lion in such color ever and it was the most unique thing. Her face lit up when the cub slowly padded towards the extended hand and sniffed at it timidly. When the cub looked up to lock it's gaze with the girl, Naolin gawked in awe at it's emerald eyes. _

_The girl's father smiled again happily at the sight. The cub had licked her hand, as if it was letting her know he trusts her._

"_Y'know, you'll make a great hunter one day, princess." _

_A soft smile crept across Naolin's lips as she petted the cub, "Mom said that too." _

"_Only if she were here to see this. She'd be proud…" the man sighed and looked up at the sky._

"_Don't worry, papa. She already knows," She sat down Indian-style and patted her lap, "Here, boy… don't be afraid."_

_Her father looked down back at his daughter, somewhat amazed. Yet, his heart warmed. He was proud of his little girl. She might be a child, but she seemed so grown up sometimes, "What will ya name him?"_

_Naolin blinked and looked back at him, "You mean I can keep him??"_

"_Of course… I don't see it's mother anywhere. Besides, he seems to like you." He nodded his head at the cub laid across her laps, purring softly and licking at Nao's hand. From time to time, the cub would bite at her hand playfully, trying to make her play with him or rather, to get her attention._

"…_I think I'll name him Humar," she gently threaded her fingers through the cub's rich fur and smiled yet again, "Humar the Pridelord." _

_--_

"Wow… that poor guy! I wonder where his mother was," Viola frowned and looked at Humar who was sleeping peacefully, "How long it's been?"

"Ten years now, saved him when I was ten years old. What about yours? I must say, that is the most beautiful animal I've seen!"

Viola grinned as she glanced over at her cat, "Her name is Artemis."

Artemis' ears perked up and she looked up when she heard her name. It's eyes gave off a faint glow as she purred at Viola.

"Huh, it's eyes…?"

"Ah, they only glow brightly when she is engaged in battle. I still do not know why." the purple-haired elf blew out the fire that had caught on the marshmallow and smeared the softened food onto a slab of chocolate on a graham cracker, "She was given to me on my eleventh birthday. Had her for nine years now. She may be an old girl but she's still strong, very strong." Viola smiled as the white tigress licked her cheek and padded off towards a small pond nearby.

"I see," the sin'dorei quietly mused and chewed on her marshmallow before swallowing it. After hearing about how Viola got her pet, she was more curious about how the other elf got her wolf.

Out of the blue, a strange language was shouted out from a distance. Naolin was able to classify it as Common from the latin words.

"Shit. It's one of the alliance guards. I think they're looking for you!" Viola cried out and stood up.

Naolin let a low growl, "It must be that druid I ran in back at Booty Bay!"

"Wait a minute, did the druid come out as an arrogant asshole then ran away?"

"Yeah, he did!"

The kal'dorei let out a huff, "No wonder! That punk really needs to get a new hobby! Come on, we have to get out of here. For all we know, he could be watching us right now."

"Oh, I'll go and give him something to rat about," Lockehart finally grumbled and got up, "Saya, you stay with them." After she ordered her wolf, she disappeared off in the woods towards the guards' shouts.

"So, I'm not the only member of the Horde faction that had been ratted by him?"

"Nope. His name's Ferado… he's like the bloodhound for Stormwind. All he does is sniff out any Horde and tell on their location and where they're headed. Pathetic, really. I don't believe that you're working for the Burning Legion. I've seen Horde fighting against them." Viola explained as she hurried around, gathering up the sheets and started on taking down the tent. "Nao, you should get out of here now. Don't worry about these, I'll take care of it.."

"Viola… thank you. I'll never forget you. Tell Locke I said goodbye, aye?"

The kal'dorei smiled genuinely at Nao, "You got it. I hope to see you again. Please, take care. You too, Humar." Viola petted the cat who had awoke from the shouting and whistled for her pet to come. "Oh, do you have a flappy?"

"Say wha?"

She laughed softly, "Ah, a flying mount. We call them flappies… more faster to say."

"Oh," the sin'dorei chuckled along with her, "Yes, I do have one."

"Alright, good. I suggest you head to Westfall near the shore and take off from there. They'll hear you here."

With a firm nod to the young kal'dorei, Naolin bid her farewell and gathered up her quiver along with her bow and ran off by the river heading west towards Westfall.

--

The bushes not too far from the tent where Viola was rustled quietly as a stealth slinked it's way through it.

"You're truly a moron, you know that, Ferado?" A husky voice growled at the bush.

"Heh… I see you're helping the scum, Locke. Pathetic. Maybe I should inform the guards of that," the druid sneered at the huntress as he slipped out of stealth mode in his panther form.

"How about I just kick yer ass right here and now," Locke casually grasped the strap of her quiver and pulled it off of her, letting it fall to the ground by her, "No weapons or spells. Nothing. Just our fists, how about it?" With that, she cracked her knuckles and grinned at the druid, "Oh, no forms either."

A scoff, "Right. You're wasting my time. Now if you'll excuse me--"

"Oh? So, you're afraid to fight me? Some underdog you are."

Offended by the accusation, the druid growled at her, "Fine! You got it." He morphed into his elf form and glowered at the female. As predicated, he was a fool to take the first shot and tried to strike his fist across her jaw.

Unfortunately he was too slow and Locke was faster to react and sent a right hook to his stomach before sending her left to his face, hard.

The druid spat out a mouthful of blood and wiped the rest off his lip with his hand, "Wow, you hit like an old lady…"

Another punch was thrown, right at his nose. Locke smirked when she heard the sickening crack of his nose breaking, "Better?"

"YOU BITCH!" He held his nose to stop the bleeding and glared at her.

"Hey! What's going on here?!" Locke muttered a profanity under her breath as an alliance guard approached the two, obviously having heard the commotion.

"Oh, nothing. He tried to feel me up, so I had to stop him, you see."

"W-what?! That's a lie!" The druid cried out and pointed at his nose, "You see my nose?!"

"Uh-huh, serves you right for trying to rape her!" The guard made grabbed the druid and twisted his arm behind him, "Come on, off to the dungeon with you! Don't think you can try anything, Brock here has a spell-warder."

Another guard glared at the man and held up a blue glowing crystal. The druid knew he was helpless now. The crystal was used to lock the spells on any caster, preventing them from using it against the guards.

With a last grin and wink at the druid, Locke picked up her quiver and headed off towards Viola.

--

"Damnit, I gotta deliver this damn letter before I head back home," Naolin sighed heavily. She had been hiking across acres of lands and a river or two to get to her destination. A burden was lifted off her shoulders as she saw the sea up ahead. After securing the grounds around her, she reached down the collar of her armor and pulled out a small silver whistle.

She gave it a firm blow and the whistle gave out a shrill cry, as if it was calling for something.

No longer than a moment or so later, a large shadow swept over the ground towards Naolin and stopped above her. She grinned as she looked up at the large creature. It's long, black and transparent wings moved through the air gracefully, keeping it's body hovering. It looked just like a dragon except it didn't breathe fire. It's skin was as black as the night sky. Naolin moved so the nether drake could land. She looked into it's bright blue eyes as it stared back at her, awaiting her command.

"Good boy, let's go to Karazhan," She climbed up onto it's back and buckled herself in with the leather straps of the seat on the drake's back. She then wrapped the reins around her hands firmly and tugged on them.

Obeying the huntress, the drake spread out it's massive wings and pushed itself up into the air. The huntress let out a content sigh when the air blew against her as the drake flew at a steady pace towards her next destination.

Not too far from where Naolin had just summoned her mount, a pair of emerald eyes watched silently and the onlooker let out a soft sigh before shaking few leaves off it's purplish-blue fur and slinked away.

_TBC_

_**Author's notes: **Yes, I know that flying mounts can't be used in old world, but I thought I'd change that one little fact in my story to make it more interesting. :P _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

A new threat had arisen. Many top elites from the alliance and horde factions had been sent to investigate the threat that had spread through in Nothrend, a continent that had been forgotten about for years till recently.

Among the horde of elites aboard the large ship set on its destination to Nothrend, a cloaked figure slouched down on a box and let out a sharp exhale. The loner stared down at the liquid inside the cup, watching it ripple now and then. Various thoughts plagued the person's mind.

"Hey, you alright there?" a tall and well-muscled man approached the loner and crossed his arms across his broad chest. His face was hidden by a blackened steel helm, but the loner had knew who it was from the man's voice and peered up at the man from under the hood that hid the person's face and smiled slightly, "Couldn't be better, Anthony."

"You're worried, aren't you?"

A scoff was given in answer, "Right."

The man only shook his head and laughed before removing his helm, "Come on now. You're unstoppable! There is no reason for you to fret. I shall make sure that we both return home victorious… and in one piece."

The loner only smiled again, bitterly and adverted the gaze back to the cup and let out a soft sigh, "So much for faith."

'…_Rumors say that he has returned, but he is no longer the man we knew. He gave into dark desires and became a monster. There's no doubt a million of lives would be lost this time…' _

As soon the thought faded away, a loud and clear voice echoed in the loner's ears.

"We've arrived at Howling Fjord! Prepare yourselves!"

Wanting to get a better view of the land up ahead, the cloaked person stood up and stared straight ahead with determination. In the distance, faint booms from cannons being fired could be heard and in the air, the smell of smoke and fresh blood lingered.

'…_May God help us all.' _

_**------------**_

It took a week to return to Orgimmar and Naolin was very relieved to see familiar faces again. She was exhausted from the long trip and only wished for a bed at the moment as she yawned from atop of Fenrir. The wolf strolled into the city at a steady pace. As expected, her friends were already there in front of the bank, awaiting her arrival.

"Lieutenant, it's sure nice to see you're back home safely," a familiar voice spoke up, capturing Naolin's attention and the huntress already knew who it was before she looked.

It was Wolfgang, also known as Wolf to everyone else. He was one of Thrall's most trusted guards and whose life was saved by Naolin's father when he was a kid. Unlike most orcs, he was light-skinned. He had ice blue eyes that could pierce your soul literally if he was to stare into yours. After Naolin's father saved his life from a pack of dirty alliances who were cold enough to murder his parents and rob them dry, he was brought to Orgimmar and left him under someone's care. Naolin would come and visit him everyday so he wouldn't be alone. Ever since then, they had been good friends and Wolf held great respect for her.

"It's sure nice to be back. Any new interesting news?" Naolin replied with a warm smile and hopped off of Fenrir, allowing the wolf to go back to his dimension to rest.

"Ah, not really. Just the same old stuff… except that she's been worried sick about you."

The huntress frowned as she heard this and let out a soft sigh, "I suppose I should go and see her."

"Yeah, I think she's about ready to bite somebody's head off," Wolf said with a laugh.

With a soft chuckle, she bid him good day and started towards the inn nearby. Thrall had a room reserved permanently for her, luckily. She was grateful for that. Orgimmar was practically her home more than Silvermoon City was.

"Nao! God, I was beginning to think you'd never come back home!" Naolin didn't have time to react as she was tackled and locked into a fierce hug.

"Ahh, Reiko… can I breathe?" the huntress laughed as the tackler untangled from Naolin and helped her up. Finally, she came face to face with a young blood elf woman who was also a huntress like herself. She was her age. Naolin couldn't deny the fact that Reiko was very attractive for a sin'dorei. Hell, no one could. Reiko had dark cobalt hair and violet eyes. Not only that she's physically attractive, many admirers also liked her for her strong-willed and mysterious attitude. Naolin was the only one that Reiko could act so openly with though.

"I take it that she's been driving you nuts?" the huntress grinned at Reiko as the other woman groaned.

"Yea, she's been bitching and picking on me… but I gotta admit, it's sweet of her to worry for her sister."

Naolin laughed softly and smiled, "So, where is she?"

"Undercity. They were running low on potions and most of their experts has been sent to Nothrend… so they needed her assistance."

The huntress's breath hitched once she heard the word 'Nothrend'. She then suddenly knew something was going on when she saw a serious expression take place on Reiko's place.

"A lot of things has happened while you were gone… awful things," the cobalt haired huntress muttered softly and glanced around, "Let's go somewhere more private. I don't want to start a panic here if someone were to hear."

Without another word, Naolin followed the woman up to her reserved room and shut the door behind them after they entered the room.

Letting out a soft sigh, Naolin felt content and relaxed. She had missed her room. It always gave her a sense of comfort and it reminded her of home. However, the subject concerning Nothrend resurfaced and she sat down across from Reiko who had already made herself comfortable in a chair. Her eyes were downcast as she stared down at the floor, her hands clasped together and a stiff sigh left her lips.

"They say… that when he comes near them, everything becomes so cold. Cold enough that they almost can't breathe. He's a monster, Nao… he's no longer the man we used to know."

She could feel a chill slither down her spine from just hearing those words from Reiko and gulped slightly, "W-who…"

When Reiko looked up, the other could see the worry in her eyes and frowned slightly. However, when she heard the single word from the woman's mouth, her heart stopped for a brief moment as the shock slowly silenced her.

---

_Arthas. The son of the former Lordaeron King, Terenas Menethil II. The man who murdered his father after his soul was consumed by Frostmourne, had returned. _

_Not only he had returned alone, he brought an army of unfortunate souls who had been lost and reanimated into something evil. Death Knights, they were called. They were an army of unholy paladins, molded to the Lich King's dark and twisted uses. _

_After the army was summoned and assembled, the Lich King failed to keep a secret from them as the Death Knights engaged into a bloody battle with the Crusaders of the light. _

_Torn and disgusted by the truth, the Death Knights laid their bloodied weapons down and knelt before the Crusaders. They pled for salvation and forgiveness. The Crusaders, with plenty of sympathy, decided to join forces with the Knights of the Ebon Blade to face the Lich King and destroy him for all and for once._

_This had led to the reason behind Naolin's departure to Nothrend after Thrall was informed of the Lieutenant's return to Orgimmar and summoned her to his chamber. _

"_Naolin, as much this pains me to ask, but you are among one of our most skilled soldiers. So, I ask you of this, will you please assist us and the Crusaders in leading all of Azeroth to the victory over the Lich King?"_

_Lavender eyes filled with determination stared back into Thrall's and she let out a resigned sigh, "I… I am greatly concerned of how things will turn out… but if it means a great possibility of leading Azeroth into the new age of peace, then I will fight till the death if I have to. I refuse to stand by and watch that monster turn our home into the throes of hell." _

_---_

"Pass over the sungrass," a soft feminine voice muttered. It sounded as if the person was deep in thought as she busied herself with the slew of herbs and potions laid across the long table in front of her.

"One sungrass as requested," a young forsaken approached the woman with a bowl of bright scarlet, grass-like herb. The tips of the herb was yellow, showing that it was a fresh batch.

"Thanks, Mina. You should go and rest, I've got this under control." The woman whispered softly as she moved the herb into another bowl and started grinding it, blending it along with other substances in the bowl.

"Are you sure? You've been at this for hours…"

"I'm fine. It has to be done anyway. The deadline is two hours and we've still got a lot of potions to complete. There is no time for me to rest." Despite that being said, fatigue could be seen in the woman's lime green eyes as her eyebrows scrunched in concentration. The forsaken woman only sighed and shook her head in defeat as she walked off, leaving the woman to work in peace.

It wasn't long before the sound of a door opening captured the woman's attention for a moment, although her focus remained fixated on the herbs in front of her. She had figured it probably was Mina checking up on her.

"Dahlia."

Finally, the woman's concentration was broken for the first time in hours. She turned to face the other who had entered the room and flung a crimson strand out of her face to get a better look. A soft smile crept across her lips.

"You've returned, sister…"

"Mm, not for long though…" the weary and concerned expression on the other's face worried the woman as she stared back in the lavender eyes of her sibling. She knew what the answer was.

"…Thrall's sending you to Nothrend, isn't he?"

A soft yet bitter smile was offered along with a slight nod.

Dahlia let out a shaky sigh and gripped her hand on the edge of the table. She was becoming angry. They had lost their father to an army of Scourge and she swore to god if she were to lose her remaining family to them as well, she'd unleash hell.

"You have faith in me, do you not?" The white haired woman pleaded softly and stepped towards her sister.

"Why would you ask such an absurd question when you already know the answer?" Dahlia turned away from the table to face the other.

"Then pray. For me. If you pray for me… the better chances of me returning home safely. I'm not going to let some… some… undead _scum _steal my soul. I made a promise to our father when he died… that I would avenge his death."

With a soft sigh, Dahlia crossed her arms across her chest and gazed off to the side, "You better come back or I'll come over there and drag your ass back."

Naolin laughed softly at the remark and smiled, "Now there's the sister that I know. Don't worry, okay? I only have to head over to investigate and collect reports for now. I'll return within a week."

After a goodbye and a hug was exchanged, the young huntress left the room and silence reigned yet again. This time, the warlock did not embrace the silence and ground her teeth in frustration instead, "You better come back…" She whispered softly as she gazed at the vacant space where her only family once stood.

---

"Behind you!" Anthony shouted out and sidestepped to the right quickly, dodging a vicious swing from a scourge he was fighting.

The cloaked person had already sensed the threat advancing towards the person from behind and turned around quickly enough to dodge by instinct as the ghoul swung it's shabby claw at the person. It missed barely and only managed to pull off the cloak.

Eyes fluttered open to reveal vivid emerald eyes and the person let out a low growl, "You chose a wrong time to ask for a death wish…"

"Eden! There's too many of them coming! I'm gonna have to go and seal off those gates up ahead!" Anthony let out a warlike cry as he slammed his titan steel mace right into the face of the unfortunate scourge hard enough to decapitate it.

"Heal me, I'll make a path!" Eden said firmly before kneeling down to the ground and transformed into a large bear. Letting out a deafening roar, the druid charged towards the scourge and swung her massive paw at it, leaving deep cuts across the scourge's chest. The undead seemed to be ticked off as it let out an angry cry and leapt at the bear. Eden took this chance to send a backswing to the head of the scourge, dazing it momentarily so she could turn and charge towards the incoming mobs of scourge spilling through the wooden gates.

Anthony managed to bash a few of scourge out of his way and let Eden draw all of their attention with a loud growl. The undead turned their attention to the bear, sensing that it was a greater threat than the paladin was and started dashing towards her. Despite the painful hits Eden took, she stood her ground and swung her paw across them, injuring them all at once. Anthony's hands glowed brightly with the power of the light and summoned several healing flashes upon Eden before dashing to the gates once the path was made.

Quickly reaching down his bag, Anthony grabbed two large bombs out of the bag and rammed them at the base of both mountains by the gates. After setting ten seconds timer on the bombs, the paladin sent another heal flash to Eden and shouted at her to move away.

Eden tried her hardest to move, but there were too many undead slowing her down as she struggled to run behind Anthony.

"EDEN! Come on!! You can do it!" the man shouted at the druid and kept up with the flash heals.

Anthony's shout was the last thing Eden heard before a resonating explosion tore through the area and blinded the druid momentarily. Overwhelming pain rattled through her body and her skull before everything faded to black.

"_Eden." _

'_W…what?' the druid groaned softly as she furrowed her eyebrows, trying to figure out who the voice was. It sounded somewhat… sinister. _

_Suddenly, she felt like she couldn't breathe regularly. Everything felt so cold. It was like her bones were turning to ice and pricked along her skin like a million of tiny daggers. _

"_Do you ever wonder… what it's like to wield such power that could destroy a whole town?" _

_Eden wanted to move. She wanted to stand up and fight back, but she couldn't. All she could was lay there helpless. There was so much pain that if she lifted a finger, her whole body would scream out at her not to move. _

"_He left you behind." The voice seemed so close yet it was far away._

_Letting out a snarling groan, Eden opened her eyes and took note of the figure towering over her. 'Anthony… where the fuck are you…'_

"_You're helpless now. There's no body around to save you… but I can. I can give you a new life. A chance to get your revenge." The figure kneeled down before her and Eden shivered as her insides twisted when she saw those glowing blue eyes stare into hers. _

'_I refuse to help the likes of YOU, Arthas…' Eden wanted to scream in that monster's face and fire a moonfire right in his face, but she couldn't. She couldn't even speak. It was like her voice had locked up on her._

_Ignoring the searing pain, Eden lifted up a hand slowly and attempted to summon a ball of Wrath in her hand. _

_Arthas only let out a low chuckle, "Don't even try it. You're weak… but do not fret. You'll forget about everything soon and the only memory you will have is the betrayal of your comrades. Let your hatred and anger consume you and arise!" _

_The last thing Eden remembered was the memory of a certain white haired huntress smiling at her before a chilling pain tore through her skull and she was engulfed by bright blue light._

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Attempting to steady her breathing, Naolin clenched and unclenched her fist as she walked up the wooden stairs to the rickety-looking platform. When she stood on the platform and nothing seemed to happen, the huntress couldn't help but chuckle softly at her own silliness. Ten years, she had fought with bravery and killed without hesitation… nothing seemed to scare her.

_Except one little thing. _

She let out a sharp exhale as she heard distant roars of a propeller tearing through the air as it neared the platform. Lavender eyes averted towards the source and Naolin frowned slightly at the sight of the large ship suspended into the air by a large balloon of hot air.

_Zeppelins. _

The day of the big accident was forever scarred in her memory.

"_Mama?" A young sin'dorei poked her head out the door from the cabin and her eyes locked onto a young woman at the hull of the zeppelin. _

The zeppelin slowly came to a halt in front of the huntress and she stared at it for a moment or so before stepping on it.

_The woman looked back at the little girl and bared a reassuring smile, "Come on, Nao… it's okay. I won't let you fall off." _

Nausea rose in the blood elf's stomach but she ignored it and took a deep breath. Avoiding the hull of the ship as far she could, she wasted no time in quickly heading down the steps inside the ship. It seemed to lessen her tension some as the huntress let out a relieved sigh and leant back against the wall, occasionally throwing a wary glance at the back door across from her. It was times like these when she wished they'd put a door there.

_Young Naolin timidly inched out the door and quickly ran to her mother, clinging to the woman's long black skirt. The woman let out a hearty laugh and gently stroked her fingers through the girl's white trends, "See? Told you it'd be fine. The sight's quite beautiful, wouldn't you agree?" _

Suddenly, the zeppelin stopped abruptly for a moment, causing Naolin to lurch forward and land onto the floor with a grunt. She grumbled softly under her breath and got up as the zeppelin resumed flying smoothly. _'Can't believe I'm stuck on this thing for two days…' _She let out a sigh and sat down, dropping her things next to her and leaned back against the wall.

_She'd never forget the horrified look on her mother's face as a loud explosion was heard and felt as it rumbled through the ship. It wasn't long before she felt gravity taking its place, it was then she realized they were falling along with the ship. Shortly after, excruciating pain crashed upon her like a wave and dimly, she could hear familiar shouting before everything went black. _

Naolin shut her eyes momentarily and felt more at ease as she listened to the faint sounds of the propellers and the shouting orders from the crewmen up above.

_Torn and battered, the little girl let out a weak cry for her mother. The pain stung like a million of tiny daggers jabbing at her body relentlessly. Hope soared when she heard footsteps coming nearer but it crumbled not a moment too soon when she saw a young masculine face come in view instead of the lavender eyes she hoped to see. _

She stared up ahead blankly into the background as if she was staring into a void. She was long lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice another occupant in the cabin, especially when she let sleep take over her and curled up in a fetal position, using her bag as a pillow.

"_Hey! We've got a survivor here!" The man shouted out and she could hear more footsteps running towards her. As she was asked for a name, she could only stare up at the sky blankly and her heart felt like it was being shred to pieces. 'I'm… the only one that lived? Mom…' Too weak to maintain self-control, she cried herself to sleep as she was carried away to safety. _

--

"What the hell do you mean, you left her behind?! Where's your sense of loyalty?!" A night elf heavily armored in plate, which only made her look more intimidating, roared at the young paladin.

"It was too late! She was long gone and I saw him coming! What was I supposed to do?!" Anthony cried out and dropped down to his knees in front of the kal'dorei general.

"You knew that Eden doesn't die so easily!" The female hissed back at the paladin, "If she is dead by now, it is only because you ran away like a pathetic dog. For Elune's sake, grow a damned spine!"

Anthony didn't say another word, because he realized that the general was right. Eden wasn't the type to go down so easily without a fight. He even once witnessed the druid in a heated battle when she was a breadth away from death and succeeded in claiming her victory. It was one of those rare moments when he saw Eden going berserk. He didn't know what had gotten into him… maybe it was the sight of the Lich King himself that shook him to his core. The way everything became so cold… it was like walking into a frozen hell.

"You've disappointed me greatly, Anthony. You are to take the first ship back home tonight, no arguments!" The general growled and turned, storming away. Anthony kept his eyes glued to the ground as he silently listened to the general shouting orders to several men to come with her to find Eden, or at least what's left of the druid.

--

A day had passed by and Naolin was beginning to grow a bit anxious again. She could never remain still on a zeppelin. Within the small cabin, the huntress paced back and forth from wall to wall.

"Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm… I am _calm_," she muttered rapidly under her breath and brought a hand up to massage her temple, "Dammit! Can't this thing go any faster!"

An amused chuckle made her stop dead in her tracks as she paled and scanned the area warily, "Who's there?!" As she yelled out, she had armed herself with her bow and glared towards the shadowed part of the cabin.

"Oi, relax… I'm not here to hurt you. I needed to hitch the closest ride to Northrend."

Naolin's muscles somewhat relaxed at the familiar tone and she wondered why, she couldn't even tell who it was… but then her eyes widened when the intruder stepped out from the shadows.

"Lockehart!" Naolin did not know why but she was relieved to see those silver hues again, "How did you…"

The kal'dorei laughed softly at the confusion etched across the other's face and pulled out a vial from the small satchel strapped around her thigh, "Invisibility potion. Gotta give props to Viola." She grinned as she slipped the vial back into the satchel.

"Oh… heh. You should be careful with those things… they can make you sick," Naolin muttered, feeling completely relieved and safe as she put down the bow.

A slender viridian eyebrow arched at the comment, "And you'd know?"

The other only smiled in answer as she sat down on the floor, leaning her back against the wall.

"Mm, I was seven years old. My father was an alchemist as well. He made some invisibility potions for my birthday. I was so excited because there was this ruin in Darkshore I wanted to check out. Obviously, I couldn't make it there safely with alliance guards patrolling around the area."

"Let me guess, ghost cat?"

Naolin only arched an eyebrow in response and smiled slightly, "I guess that myth's popular, huh?"

"Among hunters, yes. I don't think anyone else other than hunters really care much to hear about it," Lockehart shrugged and grinned at her, "It's a hunter thing, I guess."

"Hm, I suppose you're right. Hey, if you've been here since yesterday, why didn't you say something?"

Naolin could've sworn she saw a faint blush tint the night elf's cheeks when she took a quick glance at her.

"Ah, you were sleeping… I didn't want to wake you up. Besides, I wasn't sure if you'd scream and alert the whole ship. I'd hate to have a sword in my ass just for being here."

The sin'dorei chuckled gently in amusement, "Good point." Her face became crestfallen as she remembered why she was on the zeppelin. She wondered if Lockehart knew about what was going on.

"You know about him, don't you?" the kal'dorei's accented voice yanked the huntress out of her reverie and Naolin felt somewhat relieved that Lockehart knew. She didn't feel so alone anymore.

"I wouldn't worry so much right away. He might have his puny scourge… but the Crusaders don't joke around either. I have faith that we will win. After all, anyone would fight till the death for their home, wouldn't they?"

Naolin nodded silently in agreement, "I take it that you were assigned there?"

Lockeheart remained silent for a moment or so before speaking softly, "Not exactly. Viola was. I just needed to go and check on her."

For some odd reason, the white haired huntress felt a pang of some emotion and inwardly gasped, startled by this feeling and shrugged it off quickly. "Oh, I take it that you two are very close."

The other smiled slightly in answer and shut her eyes, resting her head against the wall behind her and let out a soft 'mm', "She's like an older sister to me. She has done so much for me…" the Kal'dorei trailed off softly then fell silent for a moment. "Get some rest… I'll wake you up when we are near Northrend."

Naolin could tell there was more to the story but held her questions and nodded, feeling tired all of sudden as she closed her eyes. As she slowly doze off, she subconsciously leaned to her left and rested her head on the kal'dorei's shoulder.

Silver hues snapped wide open in surprise and a light blush was painted across Locke's cheeks as she looked at the other. Her eyes softened when she saw the serene expression on Naolin's face and sighed softly, "Sleep well…" Without another word, Locke gently rested her head back against the wall and looked up ahead through the back door.

_--_

"_Now the day has come"_

The soothing yet sorrowful singing voice in the background was making the young warlock even more sleepy and she tried to ignore it.

"_We are forsaken this time"_

But it was impossible to ignore the raw emotion being bared in the lyrics. It amazed Dahlia how well Mina sung the first time she heard the young forsaken sing. Although, She did remember Mina speaking about memories of singing before she succumbed to death.

"_We lived our lives in our paradise,  
As gods we shaped the world around"_

At the same time she wanted to cry. The moroseness in Mina's voice made her feelings spill over in a heartbeat.

"_No borderlines we'd stay behind,  
Though balance is something fragile"_

Dahlia certainly wasn't the first one to feel such emotions. Mina's voice was magic… just breaking it's way into your soul and molding your emotions into a puddle of mush.

"_While we thought we were gaining,  
We would turn back the tide, it still slips away" _

Unable to resist the urge to peek in the throne and listen to the rest of Mina's song, the warlock continued down to the entrance of the royal quarters. She smiled and nodded in greeting to the guards as they moved aside, bowing down at the sight of the woman.

"_Our time has run out, our future has died,  
There's no more escape" _

She could hear Mina's voice reaching a crescendo as she neared the throne room. Dahlia smirked softly in response when she saw a small crowd of forsaken gathering at the entrance. No one could resist eavesdropping on Mina's songs after all.

"_Now the day has come,  
We are forsaken" _

The warlock's presence seemed to be acknowledged right before she could even say 'pardon' as a few moved to the sides, allowing Dahlia to get a better view. Her aura wasn't something you can just ignore though. To her allies, it might be a somewhat comforting aura but at the same time it was quite intimidating. It showed how much power she had and that she was NOT a person you'd want to cross paths with if you were on her bad side.

"_There's no time anymore,  
Life will pass us by"_

Satisfied with the view she had, Dahlia crossed her arms across her chest and let her gaze linger around the Royal Quarter.

"_We are forsaken,  
We're the last of our kind"_

Finally landing her gaze on the source of the singing, she smiled slightly. The content yet concentrated look on Mina's face warmed her heart a bit. Dahlia knew the forsaken had lost so much along with her life, but her voice was something unique. Something sacred. It was all Mina had right now. It was what kept her sane.

"_The sacrifice was much too high,  
Our greed just made us all go blind" _

Off to the right of Mina, there she sat… the savior of the forsaken.

"_We tried to hide what we feared inside  
Today is the end of tomorrow"_

The Dark Lady was perched upon her throne and her eyes were shut, her head bowed down as she seemed to be listening to Mina intently. Dahlia took this opportunity to take a good look at the Queen. She never had the chance before, she was afraid Lady Sylvanas would get offended.

"_As the sea started rising,  
The land that we'd conquered just washed away" _

It was amazing how an undead could look so good. You could've sworn Lady Sylvanas was just another High Elf, save for the pale skin. Her skin was flawless. Although, no one knows if she had few scars hidden somewhere. The warlock's gaze lingered up the black iron boots that hugged her calves tightly, like the rest of the matching outfit.

"_Although we all have tried to turn back the tide,  
It was all in vain" _

Finally landing her gaze on the half hidden face, she noted the pleased look on it. The reason of this was probably because of Mina's soothing voice. The young forsaken seemed to be someone important to Sylvanas. It made her wonder if they had been acquainted with each other in the past life.

"_Now the day has come,  
We are forsaken"_

Dahlia caught her breath when a pair of scarlet eyes were revealed, staring back at her. What surprised her more, though, was the smirk that adorned the Dark Lady's lips. She appeared to be amused at the fact she caught the warlock staring at her.

"_There's no time anymore__  
Life will pass us by, we are forsaken,  
Only ruins stay behind" _

The locked gazes were broken as the song came to an end and an uproar broke out among the crowd. Suddenly aware that she had an audience, Mina looked away blushing and smiled at Lady Sylvanas, who nodded in return.

"Enjoying the sight?" Dahlia tensed for a minute at that voice but then calmed down, a small smirk creeping across her lips. She knew well the question was referring to her checking Lady Sylvanas out.

"Is somebody jealous?" A low growl was answered to the remark and it only made the smirk widen. Turning to face the mystery visitor, Dahlia chuckled lightly at the light scowl evident on the person's face. The light laughter died as her eyes were locked with ones blue as ice. Dahlia never got tired of looking in those eyes. They'd always make Dahlia shiver when they stared into hers deeply.

"…I see more people has fell victim to the scourge." The owner of the enchanting eyes looked away and at Mina and Sylvanas, noting the grieving forsaken kneeling before them.

Of course, there was a reason behind Mina's song. It was always sung when someone had been murdered. Those who die of murder usually turn into forsaken, unlike the people who die of natural causes and their spirits ascend to heaven. The song wasn't just any song though… it held the power to cleanse the evil from fallen souls. It's power was to soothe them into a tranquil state, giving them sense of peace. If a fallen soul wasn't 'cleansed', it would become angry and vengeful… turning into something evil.

Dahlia followed the gaze to the forsaken and smiled wryly, "Apparently so." With a sigh, she looked back at the woman in front of her. All the troubles and worries seemed to fade away as she stepped closer to her.

Kouya, the most bravest Paladin she ever met… but not only that, she was a woman full of mysteries. Dahlia was the only person that seemed to know every little thing about her. The paladin might've saved her life at one point, but it was more than that. Much more.

"Kou…" The nickname came out in a whisper and the paladin tensed, gulping slightly as Dahlia stepped even closer to her. She was pleased to see a blush painting Kouya's face and grinned impishly.

All Kouya could manage was a weak glare and grumbled under her breath, "Damnit, Dahlia… you know how I get when you say that."

The impish grin on the warlock's face faltered and it was replaced with a small smile, "You've been gone for too long. Can you blame me?" The remark sounded sad and almost apologetic.

It didn't take long before Kouya caved in and tentatively wrapped her arms around the warlock, surprising her as she pulled the lithe body against her own, "…I missed you more."

Almost immediately, Dahlia threw her arms around the woman and locked her in a hug as she let out a shaky sigh. It felt so good to be held by her again. Burying her nose in the paladin's raven locks, her fingers gripped onto the woman's armor.

"I'm home, Dahlia. It's not a dream."

"Yer still in public, y'know?" Both girls sighed at the sneering voice and glanced down to the ground to find a small demon with bright yellow eyes staring up at them with an annoyed expression on it's face.

"Azloz… don't you have someplace to go?" Dahlia glowered at the imp, hoping it would get the hint to take a hike.

"Fine, fine… but don't blame me if you gain some stalkers," Azloz smirked at them and disappeared before a certain paladin could punt him.

_---_

A loud wail from the foghorn roused Anthony out of his torn thoughts and he looked up numbly at the approaching ship from the dock he sat on. Half of his body felt so stiff and numb along with his slowly-breaking heart, he could only manage to take the few necessary steps to get on the ship.

'_Eden… I'm so sorry. It's all my fault…' _

Vaguely, he had noticed it was colder on the ship rather more than it was on the dock but shrugged it off. He wouldn't even give a rat's ass if someone was running around naked on the ship. The guilt was slowly killing him on the inside.

After finding a seat on a crate nearby, Anthony frowned. Remembering how nervous the druid had been when she was sitting on a box like he was right now and he remembered his words to her.

"_I shall make sure that we both return home victorious… and in one piece."_

'_In one piece… right.' _ The paladin thought bitterly.

The coldness he had noticed earlier had increased. It was practically freezing now as Anthony shivered and pulled his cloak around himself tighter. Finally, the foghorn gave out one last wail, signaling it's departure and the ship slowly pulled away from the dock, drifting away towards the open sea.

Anthony wasn't alone. He had sensed it… another aura nearby and quickly stood up, looking behind him. His heart begun to hammer rapidly against his ribs upon seeing another person casually leaning against the wall. The person appeared to be a female from it's feminine build, even though it bothered Anthony that he couldn't see the person's face. It was hidden by a black hood. He had never seen armor like this woman was wearing. Black steel with blue inscriptions in several places.

"W-who are you?" Anthony stuttered and stepped back when the person started to move towards him. The frost that seemed to form after each footstep the person took was beginning to worry Anthony and he didn't hesitate to pull his two-handed sword out of it's case and gulped when he saw two bright blue eyes peering at him from underneath the hood. They were _glowing_.

Finally, the woman spoke and the voice sounded purely demonic. It practically turned Anthony's spine to ice, "Hello, Anthony."

Forgetting about the crate that was by his legs, he stumbled over it and fell onto the floor, hyperventilating, "Who are you?!" He demanded again. The woman pulled down her hood, revealing a pale face and hair white as snow. Her ears were long and pointy… just like an elf's ears.

'_A… night elf death knight?! Wait a minute…' _

The woman stopped in front of the paladin and pulled out a black claymore with blue inscriptions of some sort on the blade, aiming it at Anthony and gave him one last answer.

"And now, I will show you the true pain you left me through… time to accept your demise."

_TBC._

_**A/N: **The song I used in this fic is "Forsaken" by Within Temptation. I thought it'd be suitable for this fic.  
_


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